Home
by Mizu-Tenshi
Summary: Spoilers. Slight CSxS, RSxS Sakura and the real Syaoran have a talk about what home is and what it means to be home.


What's this? A non-KF fic? Well, yes. I'm trying my hand at SxS. I've always wanted to write one but could never find the inspiration. So, this is my first attempt.

XX

The bell above the cottage door chimed as Sakura waked in, her arms laden with groceries. "I'm home!" she announced as she entered their humble abode.

How many worlds had it been since the crumbling world of Tokyo? Syaoran was surprised how things had slipped back into a normal routine.

"Sakura-chan, welcome home!" Fai waved at her from the kitchen counter and Mokona, perching on his head, echoed, "Welcome home"  
"Hey, manjuu, what are you doing?" Kurogane's grumbling voice sounded from the kitchen.

"Mokona is helping to cook!"

"You're a God-send, Sakura-chan," Fai grinned, unaware of the possible health and safety risks of leaving Mokona with an annoyed Kurogane. The eye patch over his missing eye was mostly hidden by hair. Most of the time, he liked to pretend that it was not there. It was just something that was there. Something to move on from, much like how they moved on from Tokyo.

"Don't worry, I enjoyed walking outside," she shifted the bags into Fai's arms.

The wizard took them with a smile, moving to the kitchen to unpack the bounty of her effort.

Syaoran stared at her as she smiled at something distant. His stares caught her attention and she turned towards him with eyebrows slightly upraised.

"Is something the matter?" she asked sweetly. She had been nothing but sweet lately.

"No," he turned away then shifted his gaze back to where Sakura stood. He hesitated then said; "It's just curious that you would say 'welcome home.' This isn't Clow so you're not technically 'home'."

Sakura smiled as if she understood his thoughts perfectly. "This is home!" she insisted. "I've slept in palaces, cafes, ruins, even in tents, but each one has always felt like home to me." Her smile was as warm as the spring sun. He could not understand how someone who had been through so much could smile so tenderly.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"It's because everyone's here. Getting up every morning to smell Fai-san's cooking, playing games with Mokona, knowing that Kurogane-san is always watching over me and…and that's the feeling of home," she faltered. It seemed that she wanted to say more but no other words came.

Her smile turned inwards, smiling at something secret and unknown. He thought that he knew now. He thought that he understood how she could still smile. It was because she had shut the hurt away, pushed it right down until she could dance upon her worries. It was because she felt too vulnerable without a smile.

"Hey, don't throw junk in there!" Kurogane's outraged cry caught Syaoran's attention. He turned to the kitchen in time to see him grab the pork bun by its ears.

"Daddy, you should be ashamed of yourself! That's cruelty against Mokonas!" Fai gasped with mock horror as the ninja sent Mokona flying across the kitchen.

"Mokona," the white creature bounced over the tabletop and landed squarely on Fai's head. "Mokona is plural. A Mokona of Mokona," it corrected.

Fai made an attempt to whistle whilst Kurogane cursed under his breath. The ruckus in the kitchen simmered down to boil and Mokona continued to throw things into the pot.

Syaoran frowned at them. Was this home? Were they not hurting somewhere inside too? In some secret place did they feel that this was home?

"Syaoran-kun is here too," Sakura's hands over his snatched his attention away from the kitchen. She cupped it with her two hands and shook his hand as if just making his acquaintance. "Syaoran-kun, welcome home."

"But…the other…" he faltered, unable to bring himself to express his doubts to someone who smiled so expectantly. He sighed and let the corners of his lips curl into a smile. "I'm home," he whispered.

To see Sakura's smile blossom almost blew away all his doubt, but as she moved away to help Fai he felt the old uncertainties return to him.

Home was a place where everyone was together. Home was where Syaoran-kun was, but he was not Syaoran-kun. He was not that Syaoran. He could not be that Syaoran and the gaping hole that was left in his absence was filled with plastic smiles and hollow laughter and a consented charade of normality.

Sakura smiled and welcomed him home but through her virtuous attempts to make him feel welcome, where her heart lay was painfully clear. The truth was painfully clear. This was not technically home.

XX

It feels good to have a change of pace. I would like to write more SxS one day.


End file.
